Selected Emerging Agriculture Technologies Through 2040 Cellulosic ethanol is the advanced biofuel Molecular breeding in both plants and Vertical Greenhouse Farming is based on Open Ocean Systems use large cages or Precision Agriculture techniques tend to nearest to commercial development but animals uses gene technology to identify the concept of containing a greenhouse containment structures in open seas— focus on discovering how factors like soil is still probably a decade away from the genetic origin of a trait or group of operation within a skyscraper building. which can be free floating, secured to a quality, water availability, and drainage commercialization. This second- traits that are either desired or undesired Such buildings are often solar powered, structure, moored to the ocean bottom, patterns vary within a single field, and What is the Emerging generation biofuel is derived from and then selectively bred to develop use hydroponics and aeroponics to grow or towed by a vessel—to raise and then adapting planting, harvesting, and Technology? various types of biomass feedstocks improved organisms. crops, and recycle all water and waste. harvest fish. management strategies to address those including agricultural and forest residues, variations. such as switchgrass and poplar, and municipal waste. By 2030, a transition to next-generation Using marker assisted-breeding to A vertical greenhouse farm is a self- With oceans occupying most of the Precision agriculture management technologies that convert biomass, rather determine the best cross breeding and contained, self-powered operation that earth’s surface, the ability to use these strategies can significantly increase crop than food crops, to advanced biofuels progeny shortens the development time can be built nearly anywhere, including in spaces could dramatically change the yields or reduce costly inputs like seed, and chemicals will be essential to for an improved cultivar or breed of a desert or urban area. The technology nature of human food production. With fertilizer, and herbicides. Why is the minimize disruptions to food commodity animal by two to five years over might be able to produce yields 20 times capture fish production stagnating and Technology markets. conventional breeding. With the those of conventional agriculture with 95 more fisheries being overexploited, the Important? uncertainty of climate change and the percent less water, but it will be energy increase in demand for fish products will expected resistance to genetically inefficient unless renewable energy have to be met by aquaculture. engineered crops, drought-tolerant and sources can be interwoven into the salt-tolerant plants are being developed design. through molecular biology techniques. Key Drivers: High crude oil prices, the Key Drivers: The cost of gene sequencing Key Drivers: Declining water and land Key Drivers: Growing demand for marine Key Drivers: As farm sizes grow, greater desire to lessen dependency on foreign and mapping is steadily declining to the resources and the ability to produce food seafood while capture fisheries are emphasis on understanding intra-field oil sources, moving away from point where these technologies are more closer to the source of consumption. depleting. Difficulty in raising many open variations and their effects on crop yield. competition with food crops, and readily available, and the need to ocean fish in traditional aquaculture In addition, the increasing affordability of Key Barriers: The cost of building the government policies to increase develop plants and animals that can systems. satellite–navigation systems and various greenhouses and the level of automation renewable energy sources. withstand harsher or more extreme information technology resources that can be applied, as well as high Key Barriers: Costs of large offshore environmental conditions is rising. necessary to generate, update, and take Key Barriers: Developers are just energy needs. installations designed to survive harsh advantage of customized field maps. beginning to scale up new biofuel Key Barriers: The cost of developing seas and limit harmful environmental technologies to commercial production these new plants through molecular effects. Mechanization of key tasks is Key Barriers: Currently limited to large- Drivers and Barriers and face significant technical and breeding is still higher than conventional needed to minimize human involvement scale industrial-agriculture practices that to Adoption financial risks. The push for very high- breeding and tested genetically-modified at sea while continuously monitoring rely heavily on sophisticated farm efficiency vehicle technology, including varieties. environmental conditions and fish vehicles. Automated guidance and hybrid and pure electric vehicles and behavior and health. application systems will have to decrease hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicles, in size and cost to work well on small- could depress demand for traditional scale plots in the developing world. fuels and biofuels.

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